Ｃｈａｐｔｅｒ Ｔｗｅｎｔｙ
Y/n was too scared to watch, retreating to the bathroom to avoid the others seeing her freak out again.
She'd already lost her cool enough times.
In the bathroom, y/n hid in the stall. But... she wasn't doing too well. In fact, she was hyperventilating a little.
'My horn... it hurts!' y/n thought, resisting the urge to touch it in fear of it actually breaking completely, 'I've gotta avoid touching it. Let me try bandages...'
Y/n did exactly that, doing her best to handle the horn without breaking it. It wasn't like breaking was all that bad, she'd reached an age where she learned to regenerate.
However, she had to be real careful.
After all, what that Side Character 09081 kid said the other day about her Clan wasn't entirely incorrect. Though the trigger varied for different people.
Oni in the Arataki Clan did indeed have a little ability, one out of a large number, which gave them a significant boost in power. Most, with a certain amount of control, could turn it on and off at will with some limitations here and there.
However, it would activate spontaneously and at full power under the right conditions. Which, as I just said, varied for different people.
For y/n's Father, it was extreme stress. When y/n first learned this, his relaxed and laidback nature suddenly made a lot more sense to her.
For her Grandmother, it'd been blood. Just as Side Character 09081 said. Though y/n never met her, her Father had shared this information when she was young.
Very young, before her fourth birthday.
Before-
"Ouch!" y/n winced when pain spread throughout her head and her horn as she tied the bandage a bit too tight.
While her horns were durable, they would break with a good amount of bashing if they weren't given the proper time and medication to heal up.
Thankfully, Arataki Clan Oni horns were like limbs on lizards. They could grow back with time or instantaneously whenever they activated their technique.
Y/n wouldn't have been concerned about her horns, had it not been for one little important detail.
If her horns broke, she'd go berserk.
In other words, she'd have to be real careful.
Otherwise she'd likely end up killing someone.
That would be super bad... especially with the promise y/n had made to her Pops, and Granny.
'Talk before you sock, talk before you sock, talk before you sock.' y/n reminded herself before leaving the stall, washing her hands and glancing at her reflection.
She beamed, "I've got this."
She began to march out of the bathroom only to halt and run back in with a, "Crap! Gotta take a crap!!!"
It took some time before y/n returned, feeling much better than she had before. Her feelings of distress and worry had gone and given her constipation so she was sent running to the bathroom and was tasked with sitting there for a bit as well.
By the time y/n returned, it was time for the tenth fight! Turns out, y/n had missed several people's fights. Though she didn't fail to notice that Ino had cut her hair which had been in her ponytail.
Sasuke won the fight against one of Kabuto's teammates. Shino had fought the Zaku dude and won, Kankuro fought Kabuto's other teammate and won, Sakura and Ino fought by it ended in a tie/draw, the brown haired girl(TenTen) went against the blond girl from Suna(Temari) and lost, then Naruto and Kiba had fought which ended in Naruto winning.
Something... something... y/n was told that Shikamaru fought some girl called Kin and won. After that, Hinata and Neji had also fought which resulted in Hinata being seriously injured.
Y/n remembered Kin being from Otogakure since Side Character 09081 had taken some time to tell y/n about her.
Now, Lee was going against Gaara.
'I'm so glad I'm here to see this!' y/n thought with delight, 'I know Lee is a good fighter so I'm excited!'
She was practically trembling with excitement as she stood beside Naruto, the boy giving her bandaged horn a glance.
When she returned, Kankuro was kinda just there. Supposedly having walked over to chat with Naruto.
"Y/n? Is your horn okay?" Naruto inquired.
Y/n nodded, "Yeah, it's fine. It'll be as good as new with some time to heal! About... a year without medicine but six months with it."
Naruto still seemed worried but kept quiet, instead telling the oni girl, "I think you may be next so be prepared, okay?"
"Right!" y/n chimed.
"I don't know what kind of moves Bowl Cut Boy has but he'll stand no chance against Gaara." Kankuro said with a cocky expression.
"Pfft—!"
Kankuro gave y/n a surprised look when she giggled into her hand, a look of amusement on her face.
"Haha, Bowl Boy..." she chuckled, "Bowl cut-!"
Wait a damn-
"Hey! Where'd you come from?!" Kankuro demanded and y/n gave him a cheeky little grin, snickering.
How did he not see her come back?
Was he dumb or something?
"What use is that information to a kitty such as yourself, hm?" y/n asked with a grin, "Just chill out, I just got back from the bathroom. Be more aware."
'So annoying.' Kankuro thought in exasperation as he glowered at the younger girl who still beat him in height.
"Quit calling me a cat." Kankuro said sharply.
"Mm... nah. I don't think I will." y/n replied dismissively before winking, "Kitty!"
"You-!" Kankuro started yelling at y/n, blushing a lil bit while the taller girl shamelessly continued calling him kitty.
"Hush, kitten!" y/n demanded, suddenly slapping a hand over Kankuro's mouth with a, "They're starting!"
"*muffled angry Kankuro noises*"
"Shut your trap and watch!"
That look on Gaara's face was a lil scary but y/n didn't mind, so determined to befriend him that she wasn't at all fazed by how scary he looked.
Suddenly, Lee caught something the air. Something that y/n didn't spot until he dropped it on the ground.
"Please don't be in such a hurry." Lee said as y/n's eyes landed upon the wooden cork on the ground.
It was dead silent.
So silent that y/n's could've sworn that everyone could hear how fast her heart was beating.
"Now then..." the Judge began, "Begin!"
'Well, that's one thing I'll never understand.' y/n though, crossing her arms as Lee jumped at Gaara first while shouting something about a hurricane, 'Yelling your attack name as you're attacking. Does it make you cooler? Make the attack more powerful? More precise?'
Well, whatever it did, Lee's leg smashed into a wall of sand before he could hit Gaara. The sand rose up, similar to a tsunami gathering before crashing down on the spot where Lee had been only a moment before.
The sand slowly retreated back to the gourd while y/n narrowed her eyes, watching closely.
Lee attacked once more, each one being blocked by Gaara's sand again and again. With each attack, y/n began to notice more and more about both of them.
Like how smooth and graceful Lee's movements seemed to her despite being so quick and how Gaara managed to block each one without so much as twitching a brow.
Pfft-
If he had any-
Point is, he was keeping Lee at a distance with little to no effort from what it looked like. If this kept up, Lee would like get tired before he even got close to Gaara.
"What's the deal with this?" Naruto questioned.
Kankuro moved the awestruck y/n's hand from his face, "No physical attack is going to have any effect on him."
"What?" Naruto turned to look at the boy.
"The Sand shields and protects Gaara independently and without any effort on Gaara's part." Kankuro explained, "That's why nobody has been able to injure him so far."
"But hey... sand can only move so fast..." y/n murmured, "If the sand has a mind of its own, then it can be overwhelmed like any human being! If Lee moves fast enough so that Gaara can't even tell where he's headed, then the Sand won't be able to defend him well."
Kankuro sweatdropped, "You've got quite the imagination, don't you? That won't work at Bowl Cut's current speed."
"You've got no say in this, Cat Boy." y/n said with a dismissive wave of her hand, "Be quiet."
"Stop calling me that!" Kankuro snapped.
The trio fell silent when they heard Gaara's voice from below go, "Entertain me a bit more. That's hardly enough blood!"
Tf?
Y/n covered her mouth with a lil squeak when the sand snatched Lee up by his leg and threw him. As soon as he recovered, he went back to attacking Gaara tirelessly. Even with the sand blocking his way.
Suddenly, he slipped on the sand beneath his feet and had a bit of a tumble. This allowed more sand to rain down on him. But... he wasn't there!
"Woah!" y/n breathed when the boy practically flew through the air and landed upon the statue by the wall.
She glanced over and spotted some strange dude who reminded her a lot of Lee stick his thumbs up.
"Lee, you can take 'em off!"
Ayo? Take what off? Was his hair a wig?
The kid gave the man a look of uncertainty with a little salute, "B-But Guy-sensei... you told me to only do that to protect a large group of very important people."
"That's quite alright!" this Guy dude exclaimed, y/n tilting her head curiously, "I give you permission!"
"Mm?" y/n watched curiously as Lee took off some weights he had on his legs, e/c eyes sparking.
They looked rather... heavy.
"Oh, I get it! The weights were preventing him from moving very fast!" Naruto chimed and y/n nodded.
"Yeah! Yeah! If that's the case, he must be super fast!" she agreed with a little excited nod.
"Alright! Now I can move easily!" Lee exclaimed before dropping the weights to the ground.
"I wonder how heavy those weights-"
When the weights hit the ground, it practically shook the arena as dust was thrown into the air. Everyone stared in shock, with the crept of a few people, as y/n practically leaned halfway off the balcony in amazement.
"That's insane!" she gasped.
"Go, Lee!" Guy exclaimed.
"Right!" Lee shouted, seeming to have much more energy than he'd had before. Now things were getting interesting.
He moved so quickly, it took y/n's eyes a moment to adjust to his speed as she eagerly watched how he practically flew through the air.
Now, the sand was having trouble keeping up with Lee as he threw punches and kicks so quickly that even Gaara was looking around in confusion.
It was only when Lee jumped into the air that she got a good look at him just before he kicked Gaara in the back of the head, nearly sending the kid to the ground.
"Yeahhh!!! Let's go, Lee!" y/n cheered then shrieked when she almost fell off the balcony, Naruto and Kankuro grabbing her legs to prevent her from falling off.
"Bushy Brows is even stronger than before! Was he always this strong?" Naruto breathed and gasped when y/n almost slipped off the balcony again.
"Stupid brat, stop leaning over the edge!" Kankuro snapped before dragging the excited oni girl back to safety.
"I know, but this is so cool!" y/n gasped, giving Kankuro a bright eyed look, "Watch! Watch!"
"Youth is... EXPLOSION!!!!!!!" Guy shouted, really just increasing both y/n's and Lee's amount of energy.
Y/n just felt really hyped, lol.
"Right!" Lee exclaimed, zooming towards the lil crimson tanuki again, darting around him like how y/n had seen humming birds darting around Granny's garden occasionally.
"Over here!" Lee exclaimed before sucker punching Gaara just as the boy turned his head to look at him.
"What were you saying about my idea not working?" y/n said with a cheeky little grin and shrieked when Kankuro nudged her off the balcony.
"Hey! Watch it!" Naruto snapped at the boy, leaning halfway over the railing to hold onto the shaken oni's feet.
"Naruto, pull me up! Pull me up!"
"I'm trying!"
While Naruto struggled to pull the flailing y/n back up, Gaara slowly getting to his feet. He didn't sound too good.
"Uh oh..." Kankuro murmured.
"Uh oh is right!" Naruto chirped as he finally dragged his horned friend back to safety, "That guy is taking some serious blows!"
"That's not what I meant." Kankuro told the younger duo and y/n caught sight of something falling from Gaara's face.
That familiar feeling returned and she frowned, looking a little concerned, 'There it is again.'
Mans looked psychotic asf.
There was actual sand falling from his face and y/n was cringing, a little worried about his well-being.
Was he going to be okay?
No... was Lee going to be okay?
"He was wrapped up in sand." y/n realized.
"So you noticed, huh?" Kankuro hummed.
"Broski does not look stable." y/n said with a little shiver, "Are you sure this fight is safe to continue?"
"Unless Bowl Cut Boy surrenders, there's no other choice but to continue." Kankuro replied simply.
"What's that stuff there? The stuff that protected him even with all those hits?" Naruto asked with round eyes.
"It's Sand Armor."
"Armor?"
"The Sand Shield normally just functions to protect him whenever danger is approaching, but if the shield is penetrated, the Sand Armor works as a second layer of protection." Kankuro explained to the two younger kids, "It's Gaara's absolute defense."
"Well then there's no way to get him!" Naruto gasped, "It's like there's no any weak points."
'No... that's not entirely true.' Kankuro thought as y/n and Naruto continued to watch with wide eyes, 'The Sand Armor actually has several weak points. Since it's not automatic, it requires lots of chakra. It's also less effective than Sand Shield and takes lots of physical energy to keep the sand clinging to the body as well.'
Y/n frowned, "I see how this'll end."
The Oni girl sighed, thinking back to Gaara's expression from before. It didn't scare her, really, though it was a little unnerving.
Y/n jumped when something hit the ground violently, realizing that it was Lee and Gaara. She spotted Lee a distance away from the spot of collision, breathing heavily as the dust slowly began to clear.
Did he kill the dude-?
With that impact, he should've-
Y/n narrowed eyes, "Mm..."
"I got him... good!" Lee managed to say with a grin in between his labored breathing.
"Right on!!!" the Guy dude exclaimed.
"I-It's over!" Naruto gasped.
"He did it! Lee won!" Sakura cheered.
"He isn't dead... is he?" Shikamaru inquired.
The Judge walked up to check on Gaara. The boy had cracks all over. As the sand fell away, y/n brows raised.
It was hollow inside.
Y/n, somehow, managed a smile.
"Ah... what a beast."
Sand gathered up behind Lee and there he was. The little man himself. Gaara, cracks all over his face as he laughed.
"I can't watch!" y/n squeaked before covering her face, not wanting to watch the fight any longer.
"Run away!" she heard Naruto shout followed by the sound of things breaking. Not just the walls but Lee's bones as well.
Sheesh, this was bad...
'Stop the fight, stop the fight, stop the fight...!'
Y/n didn't think she could find it in her to look again.
"Y/n, look!" Naruto told her, tugging on her arm.
"No! I refuse!" y/n snapped.
It was only when she felt a familiar pressure as well as the sound of someone getting their butt beat that she opened her eyes in time to see Lee punch Gaara in the gut, sending him to the ground while the sand meant to protect him was lagging behind.
But y/n wasn't focused on him at all.
Her eyes were on Lee.
Wait a damn-
"Primary Lotus!" was what she heard before Gaara got slammed into the ground, kicking up dust and rubble.
She heard Lee's shout of pain and watched in dismy when she saw that Gaara had been caught by his sand.
"Oh no." y/n murmured, her hand twitching.
She could feel the bloodlust from Gaara.
The intent to kill as he sent his sand towards Lee.
Broski's arm and leg were crushed, that was enough!
Y/n couldn't just stand there!
She wasn't going to just stand there!
Naruto noticed how y/n took a small step forward when Gaara was preparing to finish off the other boy.
All the blond boy saw was y/n shrugging her kanabou off her back, the weapon leaving an indent in the floor from smacking against it so hard as she lunged into the arena.
"Hey! Y/n!" Naruto shouted as the oni practically rolled to a halt beside Lee, pressing her hand against the ground to keep her from rolling any further.
Naruto only caught a glimpse of y/n's panicked look just before the sand neared both her and Lee.
The attack never hit.
Guy stood in the way, blocking the sand's path to y/n and Lee. And somehow, y/n had no idea how, the sand completely missed them all.
Gaara was shook lol.
The room was silent. Far too quiet.
"Why? Why did you help him?" Gaara demanded and y/n peeked past Guy to give him a curious look.
'Huh, that feeling is gone again.'
"He's ... He's an important subordinate that I love." was Guy's response. Y/n blinked once then twice.
'How beautiful... to treat your own student like family!' y/n thought, holding back her tears, 'I can practically feel it too! I could actually cry-!'
Everyone was surprised when Gaara turned, the sand gathering and turning back into a gourd as the boy walked away with a simple, "I quit."
Y/n blinked when she felt movement and looked back at Lee in surprise to find him standing, "No way."
Everyone else heard her words of awe and looked to find the heavily bleeding Lee indeed still standing.
He was shaking violently, one of his arms and his legs were crushed as well, he opened the Five Gates that Granny had once told y/n about, yet he was standing.
Guy gently moved y/n aside before grasping Lee's shoulder with a, "Lee, it's fine. It's over. You shouldn't stand."
Y/n glanced at his face and choked, "Ayo-!"
HE WAS UNCONSCIOUS.
"Lee... you..." Guy began to shed tears, "You... are you trying to prove your way of the ninja even after losing consciousness?"
'Duh.' y/n thought before shaking her head, 'No, no, this is an emotional moment. No attitude!'
But the fact that he was still standing... even while unconscious. It was both amazing. And rather sad.
Y/n watched with a solemn expression as Guy embraced his student, "Lee, you're already an excellent ninja."
"The winner is Gaara." the Judge announced.
Y/n watched in silence as the medical team arrived and carefully placed Lee on the stretcher. Naruto joined her as well, stopping beside her as they both looked at Lee.
"-bones in his entire body have suffered comminuted fractures, and his muscles have been torn up." she heard one of the folks from the medical team telling Guy, "I believe it will take some time for him to recover."
Y/n blinked then looked at her hands.
"This boy will no longer be able to live as a shinobi."
Y/n frowned, trembling a little, 'This is a situation where I'm allowed to help out, right? Right?'
No. Y/n shook her head.
'He's a strong guy.' she told herself, 'I think Pops would agree too if they met. So... he'll pull through.'
The Oni girl watched as Lee was taken away on the stretcher, the only sound she heard being the sound of her own heartbeat as she took a deep breath.
'I'm certain!'
Her hands twitched before she shook her head.
'No!'
"Y/n! Wait!" Naruto yelled when y/n ran off in the direction that the medical team had gone, leaving dust in her wake.
"Darn it, I've gotta at least check on him!" y/n screamed at the top of her lungs as she slid around the corner and disappeared.
'I'm not just gonna stand to the side!' y/n told herself as she followed the scent of blood. She squeezed her eyes shut, remembering that the scent of blood had been present that day as well.
'Never again!'